Self Help - Anxiety

The pressures of academic deadlines, worry about grades, juggling relationships and
part time jobs can keep you “on your toes”. Throw in angst about figuring out who
you are and where you’re heading in life and it’s a lot to deal with. A certain amount
of anxiety can be expected for most students. For this kind of situational and developmental
anxiety, paying attention to self care (adequate sleep, exercise and eating from food
groups other than “fast food”) and learning self help skills such as time management,
diaphragmatic (belly) breathing, meditation, positive self talk and clear communication
may be enough to help manage the anxiety.

But for 15% of the population, anxiety reaches the point of a disorder that may require
professional help. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders
as a group are the most common mental health concern in America. They affect 19 million
adults each year .

Examples of the most common anxiety disorders include:

Panic Disorder: Repeated episodes of intense fear that seem to come “out of the blue”.
Physical symptoms could include:

chest pain

shortness of breath,

heart palpitations,

dizziness,

abdominal distress and

fear of dying.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Repeated unwanted thoughts or compulsive behaviors
that seem impossible to stop and interfere with everyday life.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing
or witnessing a traumatic event such as rape, war or a car accident. Symptoms can
include:

Reexperiencing the event through nightmares or memories,

Avoiding people, places or things that serve as reminders and numbing yourself

Increased arousal such as being easily startled, and problems with sleep and irritability.

Phobias: Social Phobia involves overwhelming fear of evaluation and scrutiny by others
that makes it difficult or impossible to engage in social situations. Specific phobias
involve intense fear or panic and an exaggeration of the possible negative outcome.Examples
of specific phobias include fear of flying, fear of dogs, or snakes, and fear of needles. When specific phobias are severe even the thought or a picture of
the feared item may lead to intense distress.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Constant and persistent worry and anticipation of the
worst even though there may be little reason to expect disaster. The worry is accompanied
by physiological tension and symptoms such as fatigue, trembling, headache or nausea
and lasts for 6 months.

Treatments:

If you suspect that you may have an anxiety disorder, the good news is that effective
treatments for anxiety disorders exist.

The first step is to meet with a professional to discuss the kinds of symptoms you
have and to rule out other causes of your anxiety such as medical conditions. It’s
important to figure out what triggers your anxiety in order to figure out how to treat
it.

The second step is to develop a treatment plan. The general goals for treatment include
reducing physiological reactivity, eliminating inappropriate avoidance behavior and
changing self talk or your subjective experience of events so that you feel able to
master your anxiety.

There are two main types of treatment for anxiety disorders: 1) Some form of psychotherapy
and /or 2) some form of medication.

In psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal approaches might be used to
help you examine your thinking, behaviors and /or relationships in order to make changes
that will help you feel more in control of your symptoms, your life and experiences
in the present. Types of activities in therapy might include: learning a relaxation
technique, identifying and expressing feelings, challenging mistaken beliefs that
increase anxiety, and visualizing and practicing a desired outcome.

Medications that are commonly prescribed for anxiety disorders include the antidepressants
called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Selective Serotonin/Norepinephine
Reuptake Inhibitors(SSNRIs). Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac and Effexor are examples of medicines
in this class of drug. Other antianxiety medications routinely prescribed include: Benzodiazepines (like
Valium, Xanax or Klonopin), Betablockers ( such as Inderal and Tenormin)and Buspar.

Where to go for help on campus:

University Health Services 910 Madison Avenue (Plaza Building)

Suite 922

Memphis, TN 38163

Call 448-5064 for more information regarding scheduling an appointment.

Appointments

If you are a UTHSC student or employee, you may now schedule appointments, exchange
messages with UHS staff, complete forms or surveys, check your financial account summary,
or review/print immunizations through a secure online web-based portal using your NetID and password!